It was in October of 1985 when the Nintendo Entertainment System first hit North America, with an initial test run of 100,000 units being sold exclusively in New York City. Following the post-Atari video game market crash of 1983, no one was sure if there’d even be an appetite for yet another new digital toy to connect to the TV. But after the massive reception to the device and launch titles like Baseball and Duck Hunt , the potential was clear. It was a new era of gaming, and the Japanese company Nintendo was leading the charge.

Within that first month, Super Mario Bros. also arrived, later becoming a pack-in title for the nationwide release of the NES the following year. With its killer app firmly established, the NES would begin its pop culture takeover that lasted well into t

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